People have been living here, in La Grave and Villar d'Arène, for a very long time. They have had to adapt to a harsh environment, to face up to the constraints and whims of the high mountains, the altitude, the isolation, the cold, the snow, the terrain not very conducive to cultivation.

Over the centuries, they have developed specific agricultural, social and architectural practices, building a veritable alpine civilization.

Les hameaux de Villar d'Arène

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A little history

gite la grave Alpes photographies
Despite the ruggedness of the land, traces of occupation have been found in the Haute-Romanche since Antiquity, both in La Grave and Villar d'Arène.

Nevertheless, it was in the Middle Ages that La Grave established itself as the administrative and commercial center of the Haut-Oisans region. The village is said to have been the largest community in the Oisans region, with more inhabitants than Bourg d'Oisans!

" Nine months of winter, three months of hell " was the agricultural rhythm imposed by the harshness of the climate, with the cold season also leading to the exile of men who specialized over time in peddling.

In the Second Empire, the epic construction of the Col du Lautaret road broke the isolation of the Haute-Romanche, and had the dual effect of speeding up the rural exodus while bringing the beginnings of summer tourism: new activities (inns, coach houses) were already springing up, fueled jointly by road travelers and mountaineers who were beginning to tackle this difficult massif: La Meije would be the last major Alpine peak to be conquered in 1877 by Pierre Gaspard .

Winter tourism would come later.

Notably with the first lifts to the village resort of Le Chazelet in 1964.

The second wind, however, came with the construction of the Glaciers de la Meije cable cars, completed in 1978: effortless access to the panoramic views at 3,200 m was a popular choice for summer visitors, and later for freeride skiers from all over the world.

Avez-vous remarqué la forme particulière des croix du cimetière ? 

Various interpretations have been put forward, none of which has been conclusively verified. The most credible hypothesis is undoubtedly the simplest: the triangle represented the Holy Trinity and the circle the oneness of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

La Grave heritage - ©Alpes Photographie Alpes photographies

The villages of La Grave and Villar d'Arène

LA GRAVE village (9)© T.Poinas

The village of La Grave and its hamlets

Une situation panoramique exceptionnelle, découvrez ce village authentique face à la Meije

La Grave and its hamlets
VILLARD DARENE village (38)© T.Poinas

The village of Villar d'Arène and its hamlets

Installé à 1650 m d’altitude aux portes du Parc national des Écrins, découvrez ce village résolument montagnard

Villar d'arène and its hamlets
Villar d'arene ©Itinera Magica
Itinera Magica

treasures treasures

Where can you discover the heritage, architecture and ancestral traditions of the Meije region?

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    greniers du Chazelet

    The mystery of the Chazelet attics

    Le hameau du Chazelet compte une dizaine de petits greniers en bois dont il est impossible de connaître la date exacte de construction. Ce sont les seuls exemples sur tout le canton et on ne trouve semblables modèles qu’en Savoie, Haute-Savoie ou Pyrénées alors que dans les Hautes-Alpes on a pour habitude de les voir en pierre. Leur fonction est la même, c’est à dire stocker les biens de la maison (grain, vivres et objets de valeur). L’utilisation du bois ici est un mystère lorsque l’on connaît la rareté de ce matériau à la Grave… Cette forme d’architecture pourrait alors être fort ancienne, peut-être antérieure au déboisement ?

    hébergement chambre d'hôte la grave

    Bleytes" as fuel

    On some traditional houses, you'll notice the presence of small balconies made of pieces of planking... In local dialect, they're called "galarîas". In the past (and sometimes still today), these dilapidated structures were used to store "bleytes", sheep dung bricks used for winter heating, wood being a very rare commodity in the canton. They are traditionally stored on the south-facing side of the houses to allow the sun to dry them. The smell of smoke coming out of the chimney is very particular and reminds us of the harshness of life in the past.

    CHAZELET pain (24)© T.Poinas

    The "Pô Buli" tradition

    In the past, bread was only made once a year for the whole village, and the inhabitants kept it all year round. Wood was scarce, and when the oven was lit, it was to make the year's bread. Before long, its crust became so hard that it had to be cut with a saw and dipped in soup or milk. Like the people of Le Chazelet and Ventelon, the Faranchins perpetuate this tradition by getting together for a week during the All Saints' vacation in October to bake bread in the communal oven according to the ancestral recipe.

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    Guided heritage tours

    Guided Tours

    Heritage walk from village to village between La Grave and Villar d'Arène

    STROLL FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE